Close Calls
by 112908
Summary: A century after Breaking Dawn, Jasper and Bella share a few moments in yet another high school gym class. No longer a one shot! Chapter 2 posted.
1. Chapter 1

Bella's POV

I was beginning to lose count of the number of times I had gone through high school since becoming a Cullen. It had to be at least seven, and that was just high school. Edward and I had also gone to numerous universities, acquiring various degrees. After about my third go around in high school, the novelty wore off and I realized the true torture Edward and my siblings endured during the long hours at school. It was a truly monotonous experience for people who held multiple degrees at the doctorate level. But we all braved the monotony of high school because we knew this was the best way to live undetected with humans.

On this particular high school go around, the whole family was not in attendance. Emmett and Rosalie opted out of high school this time. They still lived with the family, but held different jobs at the hospital along with Carlisle. Renesmee and Jacob were also taking a break from school. They had decided to move away from the family for a little while, although they still visited frequently. This was Renesmee's first time living apart from the family, but it was bearable for Edward and I because we both knew how truly happy she was with Jacob.

The past few times through high school, we were always missing a few members of the family. We could only handle high school so many times in a row, so we worked out a system of who would go to school and who would get a job whenever we moved to a new town. It made us a lot less conspicuous when there were only a few of us enrolled in one school.

This time, it was just Edward and I along with Alice and Jasper. We pretended to transfer into this particular high school as sophomores; Jasper really couldn't pass for anything younger than that. We stuck to the classic story of transferring from a school in Alaska. Alice and Edward pretended to be brother and sister (the Cullen's) while Jasper and I were twins (the Hale's); we were all of course adopted by Carlisle and Esme. We always used this classic charade, swapping various members of the family in and out for different towns and schools. People always bought our little act, no matter what.

Since we were all sophomores, each of my classes included at least one member of my family. I was amazed at how little the high school curriculum had changed over the last century. I was still taking many of the same classes that I once taken so long ago at Forks High School. Sadly, gym class had never been taken out of the high school program. I didn't dread going to gym class every day for the same reasons I had when I was human, in fact it was for the exact opposite reasons now. I found the everyday participation in various sports in gym class to be incredibly boring. For me, there was no pleasure in the normal human forms of physical activity after experiencing life as a vampire.

I was lucky enough to have Jasper with me in gym class, so we could suffer together. We were due to start a new sport today, which was good news after the disastrous gymnastics unit we had just completed the day before. During the gymnastics unit, Jasper and I had come very close to exposing our secret; I smiled as I remembered what happened…

It was really entirely my fault, and I was lucky Jasper had been there to help cover it up. The gymnastics unit had been especially difficult for me because it was hard for me to fake human clumsiness, even though I had been so incredibly clumsy as a human. On the day of the close call, the class was practicing cartwheels. We were split into partners to critique each other's form. Jasper and I were together, naturally, and after completing about five perfect cartwheels each, I got bored. Without thinking, I channeled my boredom into executing a perfect front flip, landing exactly where I had been standing.

I knew it was a stupid move, but it was also very unlucky that the gym teacher, Mr. Farmer, happened to be looking in my direction when I did it. As Mr. Farmer made his way over to us, with an expression of shock on his face, I looked at Jasper with pleading eyes. Jasper looked back at me with a slight smirk on his face. "Miss Hale, did I just see you do a front flip?" Mr. Farmer asked me incredulously.

"Oh, Mr. Farmer…" I began, but Jasper interrupted.

"I helped her Mr. Farmer, we were just fooling around," he said smoothly.

Mr. Farmer looked from Jasper back to me with an expression of doubt on his face, and then said, "I really could have sworn I saw you do it yourself Miss Hale." I frantically tried to come up with an explanation, but Jasper beat me to it.

"I'll show you, Mr. Farmer. We really do this all the time." I looked at Jasper, confused, but he grabbed me before I could say anything. He suddenly picked me up and quickly guided my body through a flip, setting me back on my feet. Mr. Farmer looked at us curiously for a few seconds, then smiled

"Well that's certainly a funny little trick, you two. You definitely had me fooled," Mr. Farmer said as he walked away, laughing. I sighed in relief, he had totally bought it.

Jasper patted me on the back in a patronizing way, then said, "let's not do that again, Bella." I just nodded in agreement, thanking him with a look of gratitude.

…Back in the present, Mr. Farmer announced the next sport we would be learning: soccer. I really hoped I could control my boredom in this sport; I couldn't handle talking my way through another slip up. As Mr. Farmer droned on about the rules and basic technique of soccer, I looked at Jasper and rolled my eyes. He returned my eye roll, and then smiled. Mr. Farmer finished up his explanation, and we all headed out to the soccer field.

We were split us up into two teams for a scrimmage; Jasper and I were put on separate teams. I jogged at a painfully slow pace to keep up with the game. I occasionally got the ball, but I was careful to lose it quickly to the other team. Jasper, on the other hand, was not so careful. I watched with wide eyes as he gracefully moved the ball all the way up the field, past my team, and then easily kicked it into the goal. I shot him a dirty look as he ran past me, and mouthed, "Show off." Jasper just shrugged and smiled at me.

I decided the next time I got the ball I would score a goal for my team; it was only fair after what Jasper did. Sure enough, a few minutes later one of my teammates scooted the ball over to me. I ran off, weaving in and out of the other team. When I was just past the halfway mark of the field, Jasper ran to my side. He tried to steal the ball from me, but I just ran faster. He easily caught up to me, so I elbowed him, forcing him off balance. As he stumbled a little behind me, I pushed myself to run a little faster. I was probably pushing the limit on running too fast, but I really wanted to show Jasper up. Jasper quickly caught up to me once again, and lifted an arm to push me. I was momentarily distracted as I tried to dodge his arm, and before I knew it, Jasper's leg had twisted with my own, sending us both sprawling into the ground.

The ball skidded to the side, clearly missing the goal as Jasper and I untangled ourselves after the fall. I stood up, brushing the dirt and grass from my clothes. Jasper stood beside me, laughing. I shoved him, using most of my strength, causing him to stagger back a few steps, "Jasper! What was that for? I let you score a goal!" I said.

Jasper smirked at me, then said, "Bella, I only did what was necessary; you were running way too fast for a human. You should be thanking me for saving you from explaining your super-speed to Mr. Farmer. These slip ups are getting all too common, Bella. I mean really, you're lucky I'm here to keep you in check."

I glared at him, "I was not going too fast, Jasper. I was in control." I could tell he was taunting me and my retort seemed lame, so I just walked away.

By the end of our little tussle, the class was over and everyone was rushing back inside to change. I easily caught up to the crowed of girls headed to the locker room. When I reached my locker, I quickly put my regular clothes on, angrily shoving my grass-stained gym uniform into my bag. Thanks to Jasper, I would have to wash the stains out later. I rushed out of the locker room, eager to put the embarrassing gym class behind me. As soon as I stepped out, I saw that Jasper was waiting for me.

I tried to walk past him, but he stayed by my side. He said, "Come on, Bella. You can't stay mad at me about this, I was only trying to help, and you have to admit it was funny." When I didn't respond, he kept talking, "if you really want to, we can have a rematch later tonight. You can run as fast as you want, and I promise I'll play fair."

I stopped, considering his offer. I wasn't sure if I wanted to make this soccer incident a big deal, so I said, "I don't know, Jasper. I guess I'll think about it." Jasper smiled at me, clearly happy that I wasn't ignoring him anymore. We continued walking towards the cafeteria; Edward and Alice would be waiting for us to go to lunch.

As soon as Edward and Alice came into view, I wished I could turn and run the other way. They were both clearly laughing. They obviously saw exactly what just happened between Jasper and I. If I was still human, I definitely would have been blushing in embarrassment. I glared at Jasper, and in that moment I decided there would definitely be a rematch tonight.

End.


	2. Chapter 2

Bella's POV

Jasper and I grimaced at each other as Mr. Farmer walked into the gym, dragging a bin with twenty hockey sticks behind him. Floor hockey: Mr. Farmer's next form of torture for Jasper and I in our gym class. Mr. Farmer passed a hockey stick to each member of the class as he began to explain the rules of the game. It was beyond me why any teacher would think that giving sticks to teenage boys was a good idea. After receiving their hockey sticks, half of the boys in the class took turns whacking each other while Mr. Farmer wasn't looking. Brilliant. The next few weeks would surely be interesting for Jasper and I.

"Am I going to have any trouble with you playing this sport, Bella?" Jasper asked in a whisper, teasing me about my inability to act human during gym class. I chose not to answer, but I did give him a dirty look.

Mr. Farmer droned on, "…now, let's split in half and start a game!" One boy in the class actually cheered at the end of Mr. Farmer's speech, clearly a hockey enthusiast. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

Within minutes, the game was underway. Jasper and I were on the same team, but it didn't really matter because I tried to stay out of the game as much as possible. While I was not participating, Jasper was giving the game his all. He ran around the court like a pro, scoring two goals in ten minutes. Jasper of course shot me smug looks after each one. After his third goal I decided it was time for me to start playing, after all why let Jasper have all the fun?

As I ran, painfully slow, to the other end of the court, a girl next to me tripped and fell. I immediately stopped to help her. It was Susan, a rather quiet girl that I also had geometry with. I smiled and reached out my hand to her, but then I heard Jasper, "Bella, look out!" I immediately turned and saw the hockey puck headed straight for my head. It was only a few inches away and my hand reflexively reached up to grab it but I immediately caught myself; no human was that fast. I let the puck smack right into my forehead with a loud clapping noise. I hardly felt anything, I was more concerned about the puck.

Jasper was at my side before anyone else, "Bella!" He exclaimed, acting the part of the worried brother, but then he added in a soft whisper only for me, "You have to act like you're hurt." I sighed and clapped my hands to my forehead and attempted to make a moaning noise. Jasper frowned just long enough for me to notice, he was clearly not impressed with my acting skills. Lying was something I would never be able to master. "Follow my lead," he said and smirked at me. Jasper put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to the ground. I came down into an awkward sitting position and it was my turn to frown at Jasper. Our exchange lasted long enough to have the rest of the class gathered around us.

"Oh no! Miss Hale, are you alright? Everyone back off, this could be serious," Mr. Farmer shooed everyone away from me. He had his hands on his head and he was looking around the gym, like he was waiting for someone to come and tell him what to do. I could tell he was close to hysterical over my "injury." I immediately found myself wanting to laugh at the situation, but Jasper gave me a shove and I came back to my senses. This wasn't going to be easy and I was going to be on my own.

I looked up at Mr. Farmer through my hands, "Oh, I'll be alright, it wasn't as bad as it looked."

He didn't look convinced, "I'm taking you to the nurse right away, you probably have a concussion –"

Jasper stood from his position on the floor, bringing me with him. "Oh I can take her, Mr. Farmer –"

"No, no this is something I should be doing as the teacher, let's go Miss Hale," Mr. Farmer awkwardly put his arm around my shoulders and I shot Jasper a panicked look. He shrugged and mouthed good luck with a smile. I rolled my eyes and allowed Mr. Farmer to keep his arm around my shoulders and lead me to the nurse's office. I could almost feel the stares of every student in the class as we exited the gym.

We made our way through the halls and I was thankful that no other students were around. This situation was already embarrassing enough. No doubt Alice had seen the whole thing; I would be made fun of for weeks by Emmett for not being able to avoid silly human accidents even as a vampire. As soon as we reached the nurse's office, Mr. Farmer called out, "Penny! Miss Hale was hit in the head with a hockey puck!" I cringed, Mr. Farmer could not have been any more dramatic about the whole situation.

"Oh gosh, Paul, bring her over here," Penny, Mrs. Jones as I knew her, pointed to the bed in her tiny office. Mr. Farmer pushed me onto the bed and stood to the side while Mrs. Jones set in with the questions, "Where did it hit you, honey? Are you in pain? Any dizziness? Blurred vision?"

"Mrs. Jones, I'm fine." I said in my most calm and polite voice, "Like I told Mr. Farmer I think the accident looked much worse than it really was. I don't even think I have a bump on my forehead." I pointed to the spot where the puck hit with a soft chuckle, but Mrs. Jones prodded the right side of my forehead anyways.

After she found no bump Mrs. Jones looked at me with a puzzled look on her face, "Bella, you don't have to hide your pain, tell me the truth does your head hurt?"

I sighed and resisted the urge to get up and leave, "No, I am perfectly fine. I guess I'm just lucky." I smiled and gave a carefree shrug.

Mr. Farmer let out a huff and pulled Mrs. Jones to the other side of the room. He talked in a hushed whisper that I could hear perfectly, "I think we should call her father, Penny. I saw and heard that puck hit her head, it sounded horrible. Miss Hale is probably embarrassed I think Dr. Cullen should check her out." Mrs. Jones nodded and turned back to me.

"I'm going to call your father, dear. We just want to make sure –"

I cut her off in a rush, "Please don't pull Carlisle out of work, I'm fine!" This situation was getting worse and worse. I could see there was going to be no way for me to smooth it over. Mrs. Jones shook her head sadly at Mr. Farmer then went into her office to call Carlisle. I sighed in defeat and leaned back onto the bed. This was going to be an interesting afternoon.

Carlisle's POV

"Dr. Cullen, you have a phone call." I turned around and saw Macy, one of the ER nurses.

I smiled, "Do you know who it is?" It was extremely rare that I got phone calls while I was at work considering my family knew my cell phone number.

"Penny Jones, she is the nurse over at the high school. She said it's urgent, you're daughter was hurt in an accident during gym class. She sounded frantic." Macy's eyes got wider as she talked, she was concerned by the message.

"Don't worry, Macy. I'll take the call." I walked to the front desk, with Macy following, and picked up the waiting phone. "This is Carlisle," I said, trying to put concern in my voice.

"Oh thank goodness you are available Dr. Cullen. This is Penny Jones, I'm the school nurse at your children's school. Bella was hurt during gym class, she insists that she is in no pain, but we think she is just embarrassed. If you could come to the school and check her out, I would really appreciate it." She waited for my reply. I resisted the urge to laugh out loud, this was definitely something that would happen to Bella.

I smiled to myself and said, "I'll be right over Mrs. Jones, thank you for the call." I hung up and turned to Macy, "It's my daughter Bella, unfortunately she is very accident prone. I'm just going to see if she is alright." I smiled at Macy then made my way out of the hospital.

The hospital was pretty close to the high school so it didn't take long to get there. The secretary in the front office directed me to the nurse's office and Mrs. Jones met me at the door. "Bella is just inside," she said gesturing into her office, "she got hit in the head, there is no visible damage but we just weren't sure what to do." She gave me a helpless look and I nodded solemnly, acting like the concerned father.

Mrs. Jones led the way into her office and I immediately saw Bella on the bed. She was hugging her knees to her chest, a clear sign that she was nervous. She gave me a panicked look and I gave her a calming smile. Mrs. Jones and a man who I assumed was the gym teacher watched as I walked over to Bella and put my arm around her shoulders, "What happened, Bella?" I asked gently. I smiled and winked at her, fast enough so only she would notice, and Bella grimaced. I could tell she had had enough acting for the day. Bella was never a good liar.

Bella stretched out her legs and looked down at her hands before softly saying, "I just got hit with a hockey puck, it wasn't a big deal. I'm sorry you had to leave work, Carlisle."

I smiled, "Don't worry about that, where did you get hit?" She pointed to the right side of her forehead. Mrs. Jones and the teacher still watched my every move, they were obviously very concerned about Bella. I gently prodded her forehead, feeling for the bump that I knew I would never find. Our current predicament strongly reminded me of Bella's human years, when I had been in almost the exact same position after her accident with the van. I smiled at my feeling of déjà vu. "I do feel a bump, Bella," I said, smoothly lying and looking at her with concern, "Does your head hurt?" I added.

Bella sighed, "It didn't hurt before, but now it's starting to."

I nodded and turned to our audience, "I'm just going to take Bella home. I don't think she has a concussion but I would like her to rest."

Mrs. Jones nodded vigorously, "Oh, of course, Dr. Cullen. You can just take her now; I will take care of things in the front office for you. Thank you so much for coming." She smiled in appreciation then turned to Bella and said, "Feel better, sweetie."

Bella softly smiled, "Thanks, Mrs. Jones," she turned to the teacher, "I'm sorry to ruin your class, Mr. Farmer."

Mr. Farmer smiled, "I'm just glad you're ok Miss Hale, see you tomorrow."

I smiled at Mr. Farmer and Mrs. Jones and said, "Thank you for helping Bella, I appreciate it." Then I stood up and took Bella's arm to help her out of the bed. I kept my arm around her shoulders and walked to the door. She even leaned into my side while we walked, I could tell Mrs. Jones and Mr. Farmer bought our act.

We kept up our little act until we got to my car. As soon as I started driving Bella started talking at top speed. "I'm so sorry Carlisle, I know you are always busy at the hospital. I just had to let the hockey puck hit me, I had no other choice. I tried to play it off like nothing happened but Mr. Farmer saw the whole thing and –"

I cut her off, "Bella, please. This sort of thing has happened before, don't worry about it. You did the right thing, I'm proud of you for acting the part back there. You did really well, so don't beat yourself up, ok?" I smiled but Bella still looked frustrated.

"What do you mean this has happened before? Surely no one else has been hit in the head with a hockey puck!" She exclaimed.

I laughed, "No, this particular situation is a first. What I meant was, I have had to pick 'my children' up at school before." Bella gave me a confused look and I thought of an example, "Well, you know how when Alice has her visions, she gets that blank look on her face? One of her teachers was convinced that she had narcolepsy, so of course I had to pick her up and we had to forge test results that confirmed she was not a narcoleptic." Bella laughed and I shook my head at the memory.

Bella sighed, still upset, "I thought this sort of thing wasn't supposed to happen to vampires!"

I laughed, "I guess the rest of us vampires just aren't as lucky as you, Bella. Not many of us can claim that we are 'accident prone' I would say that's a real gift." That finally got her to smile.

"I wouldn't call it luck or a gift, Carlisle." Bella replied with a chuckle.

We pulled up to the house and I turned to Bella. "Alice should put some makeup on your forehead so it looks like you have a bruise. You will only have to wear it for a few days. And we should probably have Edward listen to the nurse and gym teacher's thoughts just to make sure, but I think we will be fine." Bella nodded and I continued, "My shift ends in five hours so I will be home soon."

"Ok sounds good, I'll see you later." Bella got out of the car but then leaned back in through the open window on my side. "Thanks, Dad." She gave me a kiss on the cheek and walked into the house.

My dead heart fluttered in my chest at Bella's words. I could count on one hand the number of times Bella had called me Dad since becoming a vampire, but every time she did I was always pleasantly surprised. I smiled and laughed to myself as I turned around and headed back to the hospital with one thought ringing in my head: my youngest daughter had just made my day by getting hit in the head with a hockey puck.

End.

Author's Note: I originally planned on Close Calls being a one shot, but then this popped into my head. Reviews are appreciated!


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